Home for the Holidays
by Cormag Ravenstaff
Summary: Claude is back from university for the holidays with Hilda in tow. After a run-in with his highschool ex, he can't seem to get her out of his mind. Hilda deems it necessary to interfere. Modern AU.
1. Chapter 1

Claude yawned as he leaned on his shopping cart. Hilda skittered from aisle to aisle as he sluggishly kept up. She'd flit past, tossing something into the cart as she made her way to the next destination.

Hilda was staying with him for the holidays, for the Millennium Festival. Her parents and Holst were busy or something so Hilda had declared she stay with him 'lest she not wither away in boredom'. Not that Claude's parents minded, they adored Hilda. His mother had told him to marry her.

Claude deigned not to tell Marianne that. He doubted Hilda's girlfriend, meek as she was, would enjoy that.

"Look, aren't we done?" he groaned.

Hila dropped a loaf of bread in. "It's Goneril tradition that if someone else is hosting you for a holiday, you make them a meal." She paused. "And Marianne is coming."

Claude snorted. "Only you would invite your girlfriend over to someone else's family gathering."

"Psh, they'll love her. And it'll get your dad off my back about trying to set me up with you. I love that man like a father, but no."

They made their way to the front of the store. It was quiet, the morning snow storm keeping most shoppers away. And employees, it seemed. Claude couldn't remember seeing anyone in uniform until he got to the checkout lanes.

Even there, there was just one green haired woman staring off into the distance. Hilda dragged the cart up and began to pile stuff on the conveyor belt.

The woman blinked. "Oh, did you find everything okay?"

That voice.

Claude blinked away some sleep. "Wait, fuck, Byleth Eisner?"

The woman, nametag reading 'By', blinked. "Claude?"

Hilda looked at her best friend, then to the new girl, then back to Claude. She smelled drama.

"Damn, it's been ages." Claude brushed his hair back out of his eyes.

"You two know each other?" Hilda prodded, eyes eager.

Byleth nodded. "We dated in high school. It's been a while."

Claude stared at her for a while as she did the same. Then, "You're looking good, By."

"Thanks," she said, neutrally. "Let's get you rung up here."

The rest of their time in proximity passed without any further comment in regards to Claude. Hilda looked ready to burst at the seams with questions.

He pushed the cart out of the lane and took one last look at his ex. She was looking at him too.

Huh.

"Okay," Hilda said, not even waiting until they were out of the store. "What was _that_."

"Byleth Eisner, ex-girlfriend." Claude looked back at the store as they walked through the tundra. "And the one who got away."

"Tell me _everything._" Hilda demanded. And when Hilda demands, she gets her way.

* * *

**Author Notes: So my longtime readers know I'm sentimental and always try to update on the 23****rd**** of December because it's the anniversary of when I started writing. So here I am! Year seven done, going into year eight. Time flies.**

**There's that saying that it takes either ten years or a thousand hours to master something. That's bullshit when it comes to art. I am nowhere near being a master despite being close to either of those. Ah, I'm rambling. The point it is, keep at it no matter what.**

**So this was supposed to be a oneshot, but about thirty words into writing it I realized that was wrong. So we'll get this in some short parts. I'm thinking four? Five chapters total? Something easy like that to take on while I'm relaxing for the holidays.**

**Emails chapter is coming soon! Intended it to be done today but oops.**


	2. Chapter 2

Claude waited until they were in Hilda's car to spill the details.

Or rather that was when he finally broke under Hilda poking him repeatedly, begging for info.

He took off his hat and brushed some snow off. "I mean, it's not a big thing. We dated for a little while—

"How long?"

"Like, three years? Almost four, I think—"

"That isn't a little while!"

Claude laughed. "We broke it off before university. She was going to Garreg Mach, I was going here to Dierdru. That was a lot of distance. It was mutual."

Hilda huffed. "And look at you, lover boy, still upset."

"I'm not—"

"You're literally looking at the store windows. You aren't even paying attention to me when I talk, which, if I might say, is quite rude. I expect an apology."

Claude turned to her and Hilda lost some of her cheer. Frowns didn't belong on Claude's face. They were unbecoming.

"Look," she said, changing tracks. "First, you had great taste. She's like, wow. That hair is gorgeous and those glasses? She's straight from a teacher porno. Don't even get me started on her body—"

"Hilda," Claude said with a hint of a smile. "You were about to console me or offer advice?"

"Yes I—hey wait, no, you don't get to pretend you know what's going on in the great Hilda's mind. I am a woman of mystery and mystique! Philosophers in the coming centuries will be trying to figure out just who I was because I was such a paragon of intrigue!"

"Hilda."

"Right. Um, just go ask her out."

Claude waited for me.

Hilda said nothing.

"That's your great advice?"

"Nine out of ten relationship related difficulties can be solved by direct communication," Hilda said, quoting a statistic she made up.

Claude threw his hands up. "Great idea! Let me just go inside and ask her to come to my parents' Millennium party. That'll work great."

"That's a great idea!"

"Hilda, no."

"Hilda, yes."

They had a staring match and Claude lost. "Fine," he said. "A compromise, I send her a text. Happy?"

"You still have her number? Aw, cute."

"Shut up," he mumbled as he typed a message. "Or I show Marianne my folder of pictures of you on my phone."

"Which folder?"

Claude held up his phone, showing a full page of Hilda-selfies with the goofiest faces.

"Go ahead, see if it bothers me," Hilda lied, biting back a blush. Marianne would not see those under any circumstance. At least half were from when she got her wisdom teeth out. Claude had the only copies of them.

She would have to get Claude hammered and steal his phone to delete them.

"I'll show her in person." He winked. Goddess, Hilda hated that wink. Even knowing him this long and she still wasn't immune.

"We're off track here. Did you send her a message?"

"Yeah." He held out his phone to show her, knowing her about to ask. She had him trained well.

"'Wanna get coffee and catch up? Seeing you reminded me it's been years since we've spoken.'" Hilda blinked. "Claude, that's the best you had? Where's your game? Where's the man who can charm his way into anyone's pants? I've seen you flirt. This is like a freight train compared to what you can do."

"Hilda, we have groceries we need to get home."

"Bitch, it's like negative three out! Nothing is going to defrost."

Nevertheless, she began to drive away.

"I guess seeing her reminded me of how I used to be back when we first met. When we broke up, I lost a friend and that's hurt the most in hindsight. I'd like to be friends again, if nothing else." Claude didn't look at Hilda.

"Oh, Claude," she reached over and grabbed one of his hands and squeezed it. "We're gonna get you back with her, just you see. In highschool, you were lacking the one-and-only Hilda as your best friend. We're gonna call Marianne and have a strategy meeting. Hold that, we're gonna get Marianne _and _Shamir to help."

"I say this with the utmost respect for your girlfriend and antisocial roommate, but neither of them are bastions of relationship advice."

"Yet somehow they both have happy relationships, so maybe you could learn a thing or two from them," she shot back with a grin. Claude shut up.

Ha. Hilda, a million. Claude, zero.

* * *

**Author Notes: Why don't I write Hilda more. She's so easy to write and so sassy. I love her.**

**Now just pretend I was on top of this fic and posted this sooner.**


	3. Chapter 3

"You saw Claude?" gasped Dorothea.

"Yes."

"As in, _the _Claude that I've heard so much about?"

"Yes."

"The one with a cute butt?"

Byleth sighed and tried to sink further into her armchair. Well, not hers. But Jeralt was traveling on business so she was calling his place hers for the winter break. Thankfully, Dorothea was there to keep her company since her own father had seen to not tell her he'd be gone for the holidays.

Seriously, how did he even raise her, his own daughter? Byleth was old enough to recognize that her father was a chicken with its head cut off.

"Okay okay okay," Dorothea nearly squealed. She sat across from Byleth in the living room, having set aside her nail polish. "So like, how did he act?"

"Um, he was quiet. And didn't recognize me at first."

Dorothea reclined in her chair, hands folded under her chin. "Hmm, we can work with this. Follow my advice and we'll have him beneath you in forty-eight hours. That's the guarantee of love guru Dorothea."

"Dorothea, just drop it. He broke up with me, I doubt he wants anything to do with me." Though there was that text he sent her.

"Yeah, but that was because of long distance, yeah? That doesn't mean he doesn't have a thing for you still, he was probably just scared. But now maybe he's in a different place! Maybe you two could make it work!"

Byleth glared at her. "May I quote you not three days ago, 'Long distance never works. It's a joke to even try.'"

"Pish posh, that was Cynical Dorothea, not Supportive Best Friend Dorothea!"

Byleth groaned. "He did text me after, asking if we wanted to meet up for coffee."

"He did _what?_"

* * *

"_You did _what?_"_

Claude groaned. Hilda had called Shamir and instead gotten Catherine. He didn't know whose advice would have been worse.

"Right? Does that sound like the Claude we know and sometimes love?" Hilda replied. She and Claude were laying in front of the fire, her phone between them.

"_Claude, were you trying to flirt with her or schedule a business meeting?" _Catherine almost shouted. He could hear Shamir in the background trying to get her phone back.

Claude stuffed his face in a pillow.

"_Okay, she broke up with you, right?"_

"Yes," he answered, "she didn't want to try long distance. I wasn't happy, but no means no."

"_Hey," _Shamir's gravelly voice spoke up. _"Cath, let me talk, it's my phone. They called me, not you. Oh, don't pout, you're not helping."_

"So cruel," Hilda laughed.

"_She likes it. Now, Claude, you made the right choice. You don't want to be too forward. Especially because of how much you like this woman."_

"How do you know how much I like her?" he asked, removing his face from the pillow.

"_After your Almyran Government final, when we got fucked up, you told me a lot about her."_

"What! Claude, tell me now," Hilda shouted, eyes wide. "How does Shamir know about your hot ex and I don't? I'm your best friend, I'm invoking our bro code and you need to tell me!"

Catherine laughed in the background. Shamir might have chuckled too, but it got lost amidst her girlfriend's.

Claude's phone buzzed. He glanced at it and did a double take.

_Byleth Eisner: Sure. Got a place in mind?_

"She said yes," he muttered.

Hilda lost her shit.

* * *

"_Look," _Shamir said when he'd finally shooed off Hilda. He suspected she was calling Marianne or even Catherine to make some sort of scheme. _"I don't know if you remember much of what you said to me, but you're in love with her. Either make this work or figure out a way to get closure."_

"Ouch, Shamir, so blunt," Claude teased.

"_You know I'm right. I've seen you date several people and not once did I see you act like you did when you talked about Byleth. You're my friend, and I want you happy."_

"Wow, Catherine is rubbing off on you. You're getting all sappy."

"_I'm hanging up."_

And she did. "Cold blooded," he muttered with a smile.

"Sooooooo?" Hilda said, popping up behind him. "When's the date?"

"Tomorrow. She said it's her day off."

"Good. We need to go find you something to wear. And you need to invite her to your parents' party. And I need to pick up Marianne's gift. And—"

Claude laughed. "One step at a time, my dearest Hilda. I have stories to tell you that I told Shamir, don't I?"

Hilda batted her eyelashes. "Have I told you that you're my favoritest bestest friend ever?"

"Not today, my favoritest bestest friend."

* * *

**Author Notes: Hopefully I finish this in the next week, cuz I need to get back to Emails.**

**Next chapter might be longer? I have no idea anymore with my writing.**


	4. Chapter 4

Claude stifled a yawn before taking a sip of his coffee. Every college student suffered from the same reality as they approached the end of their education, that caffeine just didn't work as well as it used to.

"Chin up, Claude, I'm sure she'll be here soon."

Lorenz was the only other person in the café. He ran the joint, one of the many his father owned. Lorenz had told him once it was a test to see if he could manage a big business.

Claude suspected Lorenz enjoyed the quiet life. He'd gone to school with him and they'd been at odds the whole time. But now, they both calmed down or mellowed out. Whichever it was, it had become a friendship.

"She broke up with me, I doubt she wants to see me." Claude's voice muffled in his arms as he put his head down. Hilda had tried to pressgang him into wearing a fancy outfit but Claude had opted for the sweatshirt that had a cute little fawn on it. He had a vague memory of Byleth liking it.

The door to the shop swung open and Claude perked up, only to see a redish haired woman step in and sit down at an unoccupied table. She wore sunglasses and a cute hat and sat where she had direct eyeline with Claude.

Great. Someone to witness his humiliation.

His phone buzzed. Another text from Hilda telling him to wake up. She waited in the car outside, just to make sure that he wasn't going to get stabbed or kidnapped or catfished. Her words, not his.

The door jingled again. Byleth.

Claude sat up straight too late and she saw. There was almost a grin but he probably imagined it. He threw on a tired smile and said, "Hey stranger."

Now there was a slight smile. She wore a green sweater that looked more like a blanket than clothes. That was something he always liked about her. She dressed for comfort and had been so cuddly.

Those thoughts wouldn't help him now.

Before even having a chance to say anything, Lorenz was at their table to take their order. "Well, what a cute couple. Anything for the two of you?"

Claude would kill Lorenz later.

"Do you still get a caramel latte?" Byleth asked.

Claude blinked. "Uh, yeah. I do. And you're hot chocolate, right?"

"Yeah," she said. Byleth looked surprised.

Lorenz laughed. "Oh, I love it when couples know each other's orders."

Tomorrow's headline would read: College Student Kills Barista in Broad Daylight.

Lorenz walked away. Byleth made eye contact with him briefly before looking at the ground.

C'mon, Claude. "So, uh, how've you been?"

"Cold," she said. "I mean, it's colder here than in Garreg Mach. Each winter it's a culture shock coming back."

"I remember that," Claude said. "When we went on that trip to tour Garreg Mach in our junior year? The one where—"

"Where Raphael found the dining hall and stayed there for twelve hours straight and we had to carry him out because he ate himself into a coma?" she finished, a full grin apparent now.

Claude laughed and puffed out his cheeks in immitation. "The meat!" he mimed, acting like a comatose slug as Raphael had been equitable to.

Byleth laughed. "And when we met the principle, Seteth? How you called him a narc?"

"He totally is!"

"Well, he's my principle now and let me tell you how much of a narc he is…"

* * *

Dorothea stood up and left the café. She doubted Byleth even noticed her leave.

Claude seemed alright. Well, he broke her darling's heart, but alright for having done that. He wouldn't _kill _her, at least.

As she stepped outside, there was another car parked outside. Through the window, she could see a bundled up woman with bubblegum pink hair staring at the duo.

"I guess Claude has his own guard dog too."

Dorothea got into her car and turned on the heat. She was Byleth's ride, so it was waiting time now.

* * *

The sun had set.

All awkwardness had faded between the two of them. In fact, as Lorenz kicked them out to close up shop, Claude hugged Byleth before saying their goodbyes.

When he went to his car, it was gone. He texted Hilda.

She replied, _Dude, I left. You were in there for seven hours. I'll come get you now._

"Your ride bail on you too?" Byleth asked, coming back up to him.

"Yours too?"

She nodded.

"Well, we _were _here for a while," she said with a smile.

Claude laughed. "Almost makes me wish we could just keep going."

Byleth hummed in agreement.

He bit his lip. "Listen, my parents are throwing something of a little party for the Festival. I'm sure you have way better things to do—"

"Yeah." She blushed. "Well, I mean, I might have time to pop by."

"I'll text you details," Claude said, hiding a smile incompetently.


	5. Chapter 5

Distant family members started to trickle into Claude's house for the party tomorrow. Most, Claude barely knew, but since his father was something of a big deal in business, that meant he was rich. And had a big house. So family flocked there because they could all fit or wanted to suck up to his father for the will.

Claude didn't like many of his family members.

But the steady trickle meant that Marianne had arrived and Hilda had yet to let go of her girlfriend. They were Claude's salvation from the rest of the party.

"Also, Catherine and Shamir are coming," Hilda informed him matter-of-fact.

"Since when can you invite people to my party?" Claude asked.

Marianne giggled. Hilda pouted. "Excuse me," she said, "it was actually Shamir who wanted to come to make sure you didn't fuck things up with Byleth."

"She cares more than she lets on," Marianne said.

Claude groaned. "Between all of you, this party is going to be a disaster."

"Honestly, I think we just all want to make sure she doesn't break your heart. Cuz if she does, I already found your family's shovel."

"Hilda, you don't mean that," Marianne chided.

"Like actually, his parents have a decent shovel. There's also some ground in the back that doesn't seem frozen that we can use."

* * *

"I'm coming with."

Byleth tried to shrink into her chair more. "I thought you coming to the café was the 'check him out' thing?"

"Oh, for sure, I just need to make sure he doesn't have some plan to spike your drink or something. Us ladies stick together, By."

Byleth groaned.

* * *

Catherine and Shamir arrived later. Claude's parents were running out of rooms (remarkably). So they were put directly adjacent to Claude's. He heard them. All night.

"Good morning," Catherine said as she left the bathroom as he entered. Somehow her voice wasn't hoarse. Or maybe that had been Shamir's he'd heard.

By time he got downstairs past a slew of family members (and by Sothis, Claude hadn't realized he had this many family members), Hilda, Marianne, Shamir and Catherine were plotting around a table.

When asked, Hilda just replied, "Oh, we're not doing anything illegal."

That didn't reassure him.

* * *

Byleth arrived about thirty minutes into the party.

Dorothea was at her side, stealing plenty of looks from the crowd. Seriously, Byleth never had any issues with how she looked, but even she couldn't help but feel a little self-conscious when no eyes turned to her.

Except, of course, when Claude found her and his eyes never wavered from her.

Not that she was any different.

He wore a dorky Millenium sweater, complete with more fawns that has strings of lights through their budding antlers. It was adorable.

It had also been a gift from her to him.

"Hey there, By," he said, offering her a wink. He turned to Dorothea, taking her eyes off her, and asked, "And you are…?"

"Dorothea, Byleth's friend from school. I'm her personal bodyguard." Byleth rolled her eyes. Like Dorothea would be beating someone up in her red dress that had a long slit that showed off her legs, much less how much of her chest was showing. But the pepper spray that she hid in her cleavage certainly adhered to her self-appointed role.

"A pleasure," Claude said with a winning smile. "Byleth always has had excellent taste in friends."

"Such a charmer," Dorothea chuckled, not annoyed.

Byleth wondered if she were under dressed. She didn't wear a dress or some sort of provocative outfit. All she had was one of her nicer sweaters, a red that matched Dorothea's. She probably got jealous looks, thinking they were together.

"Claude!" shouted someone above the party chatter. A pink haired woman came up and began to drag him away. "I'll bring him back soon!" she called back.

Byleth blinked. She turned to Dorothea but her friend was already being chatted up by several people, desperately trying to flirt with her.

"You're her, aren't you?"

Byleth swung around to see another woman with shorter dark hair. "Her?" she asked.

"Byleth. I'm Shamir, Claude's friend."

"Oh, it's a pleasure to meet you," Byleth said. "How did you two meet?"

Shamir ignored the question. "He's in love with you. Either get back together with him or let him down easy. Make him cry, I'll make you cry."

And she walked away.

Byleth didn't remember Claude having so many protective friends.

* * *

"I told her," Shamir said, coming back.

Hilda clapped her hands together. "Perfect. Judith is talking to Claude right now but I'll steal him way in a bit. This will let her have some time to stew."

Catherine ran a hand through her messy hair. "Remind me again what this accomplishes?"

"If she isn't worthy of our Claude, then she'll be scared off. You saw how Claude was with her, he'd jump back into any relationship with her even if it was malicious. We gotta make sure that isn't the case." Hilda ended her point with a clenched fist held up in the air.

"Right," Catherine drawled. She looked at Marianne with a helpless look. Marianne just shrugged. One didn't stop Hilda when she had her mind set to something for once. And one especially knew that one didn't mess with Hilda's best friend.

Catherine hoped Byleth knew that.

* * *

"Dorothea, I've been threatened by three people in the past ten minutes," Byleth said, finally reigning her friend back from admirers. Shamir, Hilda and Marianne watched her from afar.

She hadn't been expecting the quiet blue haired woman to come up and tell her that if she made Claude unhappy, she'd have her horse kick her.

"Oh, Hilda came up to me and told me that was happening. Don't worry, they're just concerned."

"Don't worry?" Byleth gaped. "Dorothea, Hilda told me she was going to hit me with a shovel if I broke Claude's heart."

"Well, I mean, I'd hit him with a shovel if he broke yours."

Byleth groaned. "He broke up with me, I doubt he even wants to be with me."

And on cue, Claude cleared his throat behind her.

Fuck.

* * *

**Author Notes: Is it still the holidays?**


	6. Chapter 6

Claude brought her to a bedroom that was empty. Their friends had just watched them go.

It was Claude who spoke first. "I broke up with you?"

"What kind of question is that? Yeah, you dumped me." She bit her lip, looking everywhere except him. This was _not _the way she wanted to have this conversation.

He didn't respond for a few moments and she chanced a look at him. He look crestfallen. "I thought you dumped me."

Byleth blinked. "Why would I dump you? You one of the best people I've known. I love you." Oops, she forgot to say it in past tense. She hoped he didn't notice.

He did. He shook his head, "You mean at the party, when you were crying, that wasn't…?"

"Claude, I was crying because it was the last time we would see each other."

"You told me that long distance doesn't work," Claude said. His gaze was fixated on her. She'd forgotten how he always made eye contact.

"I did?" She didn't remember that. "I was pretty wasted."

Claude chuckled. "I was too."

A few seconds rushed by and they said in tandem: "Did we break up on accident?"

Neither spoke until Claude started to laugh. Byleth scowled. "This isn't funny!"

"No, it's not that, I'm laughing at myself that I could be so much of an idiot."

"We were a lot younger," Byleth mused.

And then she was being kissed by familiar lips.

* * *

Catherine, Hilda and Dorothea were doing shots. A lot of them.

Shamir and Marianne sat back, each nursing a drink and watching the trio get increasingly less coherent.

"What do you see in her?" Shamir chuckled as Hilda slammed a shot down and started dancing like a chicken as Dorothea coughed, hers hitting her harder.

"Probably what you see in Catherine," Marianne replied, smiling softly. Catherine was already pouring more.

"Touché."

* * *

They broke the kiss.

"We lost four years of this…?" Byleth wondered aloud.

Claude bit his lip. Oh, he looked cute doing that. "Of all the misunderstandings to have, leave it to us to care so much about the other to think of the other before ourselves."

A bell tolled in the house and rousing cheers erupted.

"New year," Byleth said, pecking Claude.

"Just to be clear, we're…?" He trailed off, not fully committing, flicker of fear in his eyes.

"Together. We have time to make up."

Claude smiled. "Sounds like we've got a good year ahead of us."

"That's what the Millennium Festival is for."

They kissed. And then kissed some more, each remembering just how the other liked to be touched.

With every moan Claude made, Byleth thanked her good memory.

With every moan Byleth made, Claude thanked Hilda. Not that he'd ever tell her, he had some dignity to preserve.

* * *

**Author Notes: And that's a wrap, just six months after the holiday season! Emails chapter soon, don't worry!**


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